Russian Test Skates 2014 | Page 21 | Golden Skate

Russian Test Skates 2014

Did they say why? Short/free dance is not ready or some injury? Strange. :think: Because Zoueva's teams Davis/White (Champs Camp) and Virtue/Moir usually participated their test skates. Davis/White even changed their free dance to Waltz after tests in 2012. I expected some competition before grand prix because they said. they wanted to do. S/K are not in Finlandia Trophy too. (Especially mentioned this one) Shibutanis will be in Ondrej Nepala and Aldridge/Eaton will be in U.S. International FS Classic I could have missed other Senior-B's.
I didn't know about Meryl and Charlie changing their FD after champs camp. Why? Some officials didn't like their original FD? I'm just curious I loved their FD in 2011/2012.
 
I didn't know about Meryl and Charlie changing their FD after champs camp. Why? Some officials didn't like their original FD? I'm just curious I loved their FD in 2011/2012.

FWIW, a few remarks from Meryl about changing programs after feedback at Champs Camp are in this throwback video, which I recently had posted in Max Aaron's fan thread -- in honor of this year's Champs Camp.

Champs Camp: Where Olympic champions are made
Champs Camp is an annual conference attended by U.S. Figure Skating athletes in order to prepare them for the upcoming season. (2:58 in length)
(USA Today posted it in Feb 2014 as a Sochi-related story. The video originally is from KUSA.)

Davis/White have offered more in-depth comments elsewhere re Champs Camp feedback, but I just happened to have the links to this video handy. (I posted them in Max's thread because the video has b-roll of his training.)
 
I didn't know about Meryl and Charlie changing their FD after champs camp. Why? Some officials didn't like their original FD? I'm just curious I loved their FD in 2011/2012.

Here's a couple of articles I have on hand about it:
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111017&content_id=25693400&vkey=ice_news
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111022&content_id=25753100&vkey=ice_news

It was to La Strada, and it differed from the storyline of the movie a lot, if I recall. But that's all I really remembered.
 
About Open Test Skates (not confirmed info): 6th of September at "Katok.ru" admission free, but you should book a ticket.
Participants: pairs - Astakhova/Rogonov, Bazarova/Deputat, Kavaguti/Smirnov; dancers - B/S, Monko/Halyavin, Stepanova/Bukin, Zenkova-Sinitsyn, I/Z, Kosygina/Moroshkin; men - Voronov, Gachinsky, Kovtun, Menshov, Pitkeev, Bush, Gorshkov, Kvitelashvili; ladies - Artemyeva, Leonova, Tuk, Sot, Lip, Pogo, Rad.
 
Hmm.. When are they going to skate in public? Cup of Russia?

Most probably. So they could have some more point there and establish how good they are. Not a bad strategy.
Apparently the programs are not ready, so they can't present a program at the moment.

Ehh when she's out competing at such a young age I'm not surprised her mom is around and more controlling, especially since all the crazy attention this year probably costed her an Olympic Medal, maybe she became more protective. I'm from Toronto and I've heard stories about Patrick Chan's mom from his early days. Other skaters too their parents are usually helicopter parents, the kids do love the sport but their parents are usually there to keep them on their toes and make sure they aren't getting snubbed for anything.

That's true and I'm not against that kind of "controlling". I don't like when they tend to go over, ahead of the coach.
 
Most probably. So they could have some more point there and establish how good they are. Not a bad strategy.
Apparently the programs are not ready, so they can't present a program at the moment.

It is not necessarily a bad strategy, but it is VERY risky. If the programs are not well received, it will be too late to change them especially as such a new team. Also, while I know Canton has technical specialists and everything to help with the levels, they will not be able to get any outside feedback on the individual elements and what needs work either. This might lead to their point total being lower than it could have been, even though it will be higher than it would be now. Does that make sense?

If I were them, I would not be using this strategy as a brand new team. But it is their choice, and as you say, there are some possible good things to the strategy. We'll have to see.
 
It is not necessarily a bad strategy, but it is VERY risky. If the programs are not well received, it will be too late to change them especially as such a new team. Also, while I know Canton has technical specialists and everything to help with the levels, they will not be able to get any outside feedback on the individual elements and what needs work either. This might lead to their point total being lower than it could have been, even though it will be higher than it would be now. Does that make sense?

If I were them, I would not be using this strategy as a brand new team. But it is their choice, and as you say, there are some possible good things to the strategy. We'll have to see.

True. It could go both ways.
Maybe someone from Russia will go in USA and check, or maybe they have sent a video. Who knows? :think:
After all the talk about matched souls and blue eyes, suddenly there is a silence. :confused:
 
True. It could go both ways.
Maybe someone from Russia will go in USA and check, or maybe they have sent a video. Who knows? :think:
After all the talk about matched souls and blue eyes, suddenly there is a silence. :confused:
Zueva realized they need a lot of work to try the audition for Fast and Furious, no doubt. If they were ready, she could have send the, to the test skate already. :biggrin:
 
Zueva realized they need a lot of work to try the audition for Fast and Furious, no doubt. If they were ready, she could have send the, to the test skate already. :biggrin:

This fast and furious thing make me laugh, always. :laugh:
 
Any test skate videos up? Seems this year not as many as in the past. (I know they get posted then taken down, but still)
 
About Open Test Skates (not confirmed info): 6th of September at "Katok.ru" admission free, but you should book a ticket.
Participants: pairs - Astakhova/Rogonov, Bazarova/Deputat, Kavaguti/Smirnov; dancers - B/S, Monko/Halyavin, Stepanova/Bukin, Zenkova-Sinitsyn, I/Z, Kosygina/Moroshkin; men - Voronov, Gachinsky, Kovtun, Menshov, Pitkeev, Bush, Gorshkov, Kvitelashvili; ladies - Artemyeva, Leonova, Tuk, Sot, Lip, Pogo, Rad.

Any word on Lipnitskaia's new FS routine? Will she be skating that at the Open Test Skates or only the short?
 
I wouldn't knock Nikita and Victoria so hard. Maybe this was already in the cards from the moment they did their exhibition skate from May 30th. It is quite an undertaking to come back to Russia for a week (if they were to participate in the open skates as well), when if Zueva can be trusted, they have not settled on their FD music as yet. Not to mention they would be seriously interrupting their training regimen. I imagine they will be taking something like what they used for their exhibition, something that is sort of soft and classical not requiring much dynamism (they seem like a lyrical, soft romantic pair, just without the chemistry as yet if that makes sense), how else could one just create a set of elements and then fix a piece of music to it? Not withstanding, they will be quite good no doubt given the team they have behind them. Sentimentally though I just connect or sympathize more with Rus and Lena and I'm just really excited for them. To be honest, I think Lena and Nikita were not a match in terms of temperament and technical abilities. I think this frustrated Lena while leaving him feeling dejected, let's just get on with the new season already! Lena was the fire to Nikita's ice only a great coach could have kept these two together.
 
It is not necessarily a bad strategy, but it is VERY risky. If the programs are not well received, it will be too late to change them especially as such a new team. Also, while I know Canton has technical specialists and everything to help with the levels, they will not be able to get any outside feedback on the individual elements and what needs work either. This might lead to their point total being lower than it could have been, even though it will be higher than it would be now. Does that make sense?

I agree.

I wouldn't knock Nikita and Victoria so hard. Maybe this was already in the cards from the moment they did their exhibition skate from May 30th. It is quite an undertaking to come back to Russia for a week (if they were to participate in the open skates as well), when if Zueva can be trusted, they have not settled on their FD music as yet. Not to mention they would be seriously interrupting their training regimen. ...

http://www.sovsport.ru/news/text-item/717209
….from 6th of June….Marina Zueva confirms that Vika and Nikita will skate at one Grand Prix only and says that the couple will show programs at Test Skate….

http://others.sport-express.ru/reviews/47207/
…30th of July… Nagornyhk says that he called Marina Zueva in these days – she told that during her career she never met more hard-working couple that Victoria and Nikita. Then Nagornykh speaks about skaters he saw at practise…

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2014/08/04/87491728/zoueva-grooming-new-generation-of-ice-dancers
…from 4th of August…
… Zoueva has created a short dance for Sinitsina and Katsalapov set to familiar paso doble and flamenco music. She is still considering their free dance. There is no rush.
"When will it all come together? They just started," she (Zueva) said. "I am doing it step by step. They improve every day. It's impossible to finish a program now.
"Marina is changing music for the free dance. We tried already a few different styles. That is the way she works. Every day she speaks about it a little bit different, maybe she found another idea. We have all of the elements for the free dance: lifts, spin, footwork."


Zueva first promise to come at Test Skate, but in the beginning of August there is “no rush“ (just three weeks before Test Skate). In late July Nagornykh talks about skaters he saw at practise, if he would see some videos of Vika and Nikita from US, I suppose he would notice it…but he only noticed talking to Zueva by phone.

As I remember skaters who didn’t skate at Test Skate could have the only reason – injury. I don’t remeber anybody who wouldn’t come to Test Skate just because he didn’t feel ready. And training in US was never a reason for not coming to Russia for Test Skate.

I believe that FD for Vika and Nikita is done right now, in other case I think that it would be impossible to show good quality program looking at components. One thing is technique, another thing is connection to music and story – which is not able to put together in two weeks, this is a long journey, the programs must be skated many times at practises and more times at competitions and still it grows slowly in terms of expression. And very often a couple is able to show perfect presentation of the program not sooner that at the end of the season (taken into account that they train programs since May/June).

Zueva’s new direction for creating programs – first footwork, lifts and spin… and then looking for music – is shocking for me. I am very curious how much will the choreography express the music. And with Nikita talking about many styles they used, I can’t imagine that for example footwork of Tessa and Scott from their Olympic FD (both circular and diagonal step sequences) could be used for different styles – Con Te Partiro from Andre Bocelli, Matrix Soundtrack, Great Gatsby Soundtrack, Tango medley, Cirque Du Soleil music, Four Seasons by Vivaldi, Giselle ballet. My music feeling screams that this is a crime. If you want to express music by your moves, you must choose music first and then creat a choreography which will fit and express the music!

I must say that I am dissapointed, I wanted to see what all couples were able to learn and how new programs looks like at Open Test Skate, but Vika and Nikita and Zueva are visibly against.
 
^ Is Test Skate mandatory? Is it for all skaters or only for those who are on the list as Team Russia members? I have no idea what status Sinitsyna/Katsalapov have now. If they are not sponsored by the Federation, they have to pay for air flights from their pockets. In this case the officials can't force them to come.
 
^ Is Test Skate mandatory? Is it for all skaters or only for those who are on the list as Team Russia members? I have no idea what status Sinitsyna/Katsalapov have now. If they are not sponsored by the Federation, they have to pay for air flights from their pockets. In this case the officials can't force them to come.

They are on the Russian team. They are in reserve team, so they would be getting probably less money than if they were in their senior team, but they would still be supported.
 
If they don't look good right away - especially in comparison to I/Z - it would be completely destructive to come. Obviously they intend to appear with an exclamation mark, i.e. the only possibility to come close to medals in short term :think:
 
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